One way to get on the bad side of Terence Crawford apparently is to behave inauthentically.
The undisputed welterweight champion from Omaha, Nebraska, has not been shy about expressing his antipathy for Jermell Charlo, the undisputed 154-pound champion, and in a recent interview, Crawford explained that his animus for the Houston native stems from the latter’s “fake” demeanor.
The two have butted heads in person and online over the years, but their enmity for each other ramped up in the wake of Crawford’s career-defining beatdown over Errol Spence Jr. last month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During the fight, Crawford taunted Charlo, who was sitting ringside, saying he was “next.” Charlo and Spence are stablemates under veteran trainer Derrick James.
“I don’t like Jermell for the simple fact that I feel he’s a fake individual,” Crawford said on The Porter Way Podcast. “I feel Errol is real, I feel he’s genuine. I feel he stand on 10 toes on everything that he say or do. I feel like Jermell is just, you know, one of those guys that do a lot for attention.”
Charlo recently stated on his social media that he was open arms to fighting Crawford down the line. Both fighters, however, are likely tied up with other plans for the conceivable future. Charlo is moving up two weight classes to take on undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez next month in Las Vegas, and Crawford could be headed for a rematch with Spence at the end of the year.
In The Porter Way Podcast interview, Crawford said he was originally on good terms with both Jermell and his twin brother Jermall, the WBC middleweight titlist, but that their relationship went south once Crawford moved up to the welterweight ranks. Crawford, a three-division titlist, started his career as a lightweight.
“I was cool with Jermell and Jermall and their older brother prior to me moving up in weight,” Crawford said. “I got messages—he hit me up and, you know what I mean, asking me, [saying] he gon’ pull up in Omaha and we talkin’ about cars. We talkin’ about all different kind of stuff, nah I mean? Once, you know, I moved up in the division—and I understand that they’re stablemates and he trains with Errol coach and they been knowing each other for a long time.
“For him to start bashing me and talking bad about me and saying I’m gonna get knocked out, just going out his way to say little slick sh!t about me, I was just like, ‘Man, that’s some hoe sh!t’ We don’t do sh!t like that. If you cool with him and you more cool with him, just say that and keep it pushin’. You don’t got to act like no extra way and doing all that extra sh!t.
“Same like [Adrien] Broner. Me and Broner not close. You know what I mean? But we have a mutual respect for each other. And Broner told me to my face, and I respect his opinion, he was like, ‘Hey man, I got Errol. I f—- with you, you my brother, but I got a real bond with Errol and I been having a real bond with Errol.’ So I rather you be like that, be up front. And then just watch it as a fan.
“But you go on [and say] ‘Oh, Errol gon’ knock his ass out. He gon’ do this, gon’ do that. We Texas boys.’ Man, you from Louisiana, bro. C’mon now. I’m just sayin’ he ain’t from Texas to the heart. I don’t like sh!t like that. Like, dude, I don’t rock with that.”
Asked what he told Charlo ringside while he was pummeling Spence, Crawford said he gave him a piece of his mind.
“I just told him he a b!tch-ass n—-,” Crawford said. “I told him some mo’ sh!t, but I ain’t gonna say everything but you know. It was just a heated moment. I wanted to let him know how I felt and let him know that I’m definitely coming for him because that’s what I said I was going to do.”
By Sean Nam